Grammar Checker

Grammar Checker

Systematically scan research paper text through multiple passes to identify and fix typos, grammar errors, inappropriate word choices, and awkward expressions.

When to Use This Skill

• Proofreading research papers before submission
• Performing systematic error detection across multiple categories
• Fixing specific grammar and usage issues
• Cleaning up text after major revisions
• Final pass before conference submission
• Non-native speakers checking for common errors

Multi-Pass Scanning Approach

Perform systematic scans in the following order, completing each pass before moving to the next:

Pass 1: Typos and Spelling

Scan for:

• Misspelled words
• Incorrect technical terminology
• Inconsistent capitalization (e.g., "LaTeX" vs "Latex")
• Inconsistent hyphenation (e.g., "real-time" vs "real time")
• Common typos (e.g., "teh", "recieve", "seperate")
• Missing or extra spaces
• Duplicated words (e.g., "the the")

Pass 2: Grammar Errors

Scan for:

• Subject-verb agreement errors
• Incorrect verb tenses
• Wrong article usage (a/an/the)
• Incorrect prepositions
• Pronoun-antecedent agreement
• Sentence fragments
• Run-on sentences
• Comma splices
• Misplaced modifiers

Pass 3: Inappropriate Words and Phrases

Scan for:

• Informal language (e.g., "gonna", "kinda", "a lot of")
• Colloquialisms and slang
• Contractions (e.g., "don't", "can't", "won't")
• First-person pronouns overuse in inappropriate contexts
• Vague quantifiers (e.g., "very", "really", "quite")
• Weasel words (e.g., "perhaps", "might", "possibly" when not needed)
• Emotional or subjective language
• Anthropomorphization (e.g., "the system thinks", "the paper argues")

Pass 4: Awkward Expressions

Scan for:

• Unnecessarily complex sentence structures
• Passive voice where active is clearer
• Wordy phrases that can be simplified
• Redundant expressions (e.g., "past history", "future plans")
• Unclear pronoun references
• Dangling participles
• Split infinitives (when awkward)
• Awkward word order
• Non-idiomatic phrases for non-native speakers

Pass 5: Academic Writing Style

Scan for:

• Inconsistent terminology across sections
• Undefined acronyms on first use
• Incorrect tense (present for current work, past for related work)
• Inappropriate use of hyphens to connect clauses
• Missing transitions between ideas
• Inconsistent formatting (citations, equations, etc.)
• Overly casual or overly complex language

Output Format

For each pass, provide:

1. Pass Header

===== Pass X: [Category Name] =====

2. Issues Found

For each issue detected:

Location: [section/paragraph/line reference]
Issue Type: [specific error type]
Original: "[quoted text with error]"
Fixed: "[corrected text]"
Explanation: [why this is an error and why the fix is appropriate]

3. Pass Summary

Total issues found: [number]
Issues fixed: [number]

4. Final Summary

After all passes:

===== Overall Summary =====
Total scans performed: 5
Total issues found: [number]
Total fixes applied: [number]

Issues by category:
- Typos and Spelling: [count]
- Grammar Errors: [count]
- Inappropriate Words: [count]
- Awkward Expressions: [count]
- Academic Style: [count]

5. Corrected Text

Provide the fully corrected version of the text with all fixes applied.

Scanning Guidelines

Be Systematic

• Complete each pass fully before moving to the next
• Don't skip passes even if earlier passes found few errors
• Reread the text in each pass with fresh focus on that category

Be Specific

• Quote the exact text with the error
• Provide precise location references
• Explain why something is an error
• Justify the proposed fix

Be Conservative

• Only flag genuine errors, not stylistic preferences
• Don't "fix" correct but unusual constructions
• Preserve technical terminology even if uncommon
• Respect author's voice and style when appropriate

Be Consistent

• Apply the same standards throughout the text
• Don't flag similar issues differently
• Maintain consistency with previous fixes

Common Errors in Academic Writing

Article Errors (for non-native speakers)

• Missing articles: "We propose system → a system"
• Wrong article: "We use a HTTP → the HTTP protocol"
• Unnecessary article: "The the latency is low → Latency is low"

Preposition Errors

• "Different with → from"
• "Consist in → of"
• "Depend from → on"
• "Focus to → on"

Verb Tense Errors

• Related work: "Smith et al. propose → proposed"
• Current work: "We proposed → propose"
• Results: "Figure 1 showed → shows"

Common Typos in Technical Writing

• "seperator" → "separator"
• "occured" → "occurred"
• "sucessful" → "successful"
• "thier" → "their"
• "recieve" → "receive"

Awkward Constructions

• "In order to" → "To" (simpler)
• "Due to the fact that" → "Because"
• "At this point in time" → "Now"
• "Make use of" → "Use"

Inappropriate Informal Language

• "a lot of data" → "substantial data" or "large amounts of data"
• "get better results" → "achieve better results" or "obtain better results"
• "pretty good" → "quite good" or "favorable"
• "kind of interesting" → "somewhat interesting" or remove qualifier

Error Severity Levels

Classify errors by severity to prioritize fixes:

Critical (Must Fix)

• Grammar errors that change meaning
• Technical term misspellings
• Factual errors in text
• Undefined acronyms

Major (Should Fix)

• Grammar errors that don't change meaning but are incorrect
• Awkward expressions that confuse readers
• Inconsistent terminology
• Informal language in formal sections

Minor (Nice to Fix)

• Stylistic improvements
• Slightly awkward but correct constructions
• Overly complex sentences that could be simpler
• Minor redundancies

Special Considerations for Academic Papers

LaTeX Integrity

• Do not modify LaTeX commands or environments
• Only fix text content within commands
• Preserve math mode content unless clearly erroneous
• Maintain citation formatting

Technical Terminology

• Verify technical terms against standard usage
• Don't "correct" domain-specific jargon
• Preserve acronym formatting (e.g., "RDMA", "TCP/IP")
• Check consistency of system/protocol names

Common Academic Patterns

• "We propose X" ✓ (correct present tense)
• "The system achieves Y" ✓ (correct)
• "As shown in Figure Z" ✓ (correct)
• "This demonstrates that..." ✓ (correct)

Target Audience

Research papers for top-tier computer science conferences (OSDI, NSDI, SOSP, SIGCOMM, etc.) written by both native and non-native English speakers.

Important Guidelines

Do Not Over-Correct

• Accept correct but uncommon constructions
• Don't impose one "right" way when multiple are valid
• Preserve author's voice when possible
• Focus on errors, not preferences

Provide Explanations

• Explain why something is an error
• Note when a fix improves clarity vs correctness
• Indicate severity of each issue
• Help authors learn from corrections

Be Thorough But Efficient

• Complete all five passes systematically
• Don't redundantly flag the same error type
• Group similar errors when reporting
• Focus on patterns, not just individual instances

Maintain Academic Tone

• All corrections should preserve formal academic style
• Don't make text too casual or too stuffy
• Maintain appropriate technical level
• Keep language precise and clear

Example Output

===== Pass 1: Typos and Spelling =====

Location: Abstract, line 3
Issue Type: Spelling error
Original: "We achive low latency"
Fixed: "We achieve low latency"
Explanation: "Achive" is a common misspelling of "achieve"

Location: Introduction, paragraph 2
Issue Type: Duplicated word
Original: "the the system"
Fixed: "the system"
Explanation: Duplicated article

Total issues found: 12
Issues fixed: 12

===== Pass 2: Grammar Errors =====

Location: Section 3, paragraph 1
Issue Type: Subject-verb agreement
Original: "The results shows that"
Fixed: "The results show that"
Explanation: Plural subject "results" requires plural verb "show"

...

===== Overall Summary =====
Total scans performed: 5
Total issues found: 47
Total fixes applied: 47

Issues by category:
- Typos and Spelling: 12
- Grammar Errors: 15
- Inappropriate Words: 8
- Awkward Expressions: 9
- Academic Style: 3

===== Corrected Text =====

[Full corrected version of the text]